Movies & Balloons
by Iridesque
Summary: Travelling the universe is fun, she muses, but there are times when she would rather take it slow. Today was just one of them.


"Hello Sweetie," River's slightly tired voice came from the spare room in the TARDIS. "So, where are we?"

It had been weeks since she had last seen him; their previous date had been on a planet where fish could fly. He smiled softly, sadly, not speaking a word; his look of resignation was all she needed.

_The Angels._ She blinked in acceptance; it must have been a few months after her parents disappeared. She pulled him into her embrace. The months after were vital to his recovery, and she had vowed to be there for every step of the way.

His body tensed, and she inhaled quickly, her chest tightening. She wrapped her arms around him tighter as he began to relax into her grip. He wrapped his arms around her, and they stood in their awkward tangle of arms and jackets.

"So what do you want to do today?" he asked softly, as he regained his composure. She breathed a sigh of relief; perhaps the healing process was slow, but there was something to work with.

"I'm kind of tired today. Why don't we take it easy?" she suggested, letting go of her doctor. "Maybe we could just go on a picnic or watch a movie or something," she murmured, slipping her hand into his.

He smiled, wiping his eyes with one sleeve. "Alright. The TARDIS has a lounge and a theater, we could always use those, or the swimming pool again," he smirked.

"Let's just watch a movie. What were those twenty first century children films called again? Disney movies?" Her smile turned into a grin. "You kept the popcorn machine, right?"

"Of course I did!" he replied, affronted. "I would never waste such an important machine! I'll go make some popcorn and you can choose some silly Disney movie," he grinned as well, bouncing off towards the long hallway of the time machine.

She grinned, happy to see him up and about again and headed towards the large theater on the other side of the TARDIS. She grabbed the remote, browsing through the large library of _things_ the Doctor kept.

Finding Nemo. Aladdin. Snow White and the Seven Dwarves. Tangled.

Her eyes lit up as she found the right movie. It was one of the few she had yet to watch. She quickly grabbed the old DVD player and slipped in the disk.

As the Doctor entered the room, her eyes were transfixed to the screen. The movie had already started. A lopsided smirk appeared on his face as he moved over to sit next to River, a huge bucket of popcorn in one hand.

"_Up?_ Are you sure about this?" the disbelieving raise of his eyebrows earned him glare.

"Yes, now stop talking. I've never watched this one before," she replied with mock agitation. She moved closer towards him, snuggling to his chest before grabbing a handful of popcorn.

The Doctor placed his arm around her shoulders, his hand running through her hair. He kicked up his feet, paying attention to the screen in front of them.

"I am about to let you see something I've never shown to another human being ever in my life! You have to swear you'll not tell anyone. Cross your heart! Do it!" The young Ellie spoke in an exaggerated tone.

This was his favorite part; he had always found it extremely endearing. Children had a way of making him smile.

River leaned into him, her head at his chest. She looked up with a smile before taking another fistful of buttery kernels.

The song started playing.

It was the simple melody that showed the progression of their lives. It was such a bittersweet moment. He watched tiredly; their story happened so frequently to those who did not deserve it. It seemed as if the good always took the punishment for those who deserved the worst. It could be said for him as well.

He heard a sharp intake of breath. A sniffle. He quickly paused the movie. What was that sound? Surely it wasn't from the film.

Confused, the doctor looked down at his wife, trying to figure out where it was coming from.

Wait. Was she… crying?

"It's all right River, it's just a movie, shhh…" he murmured in soft tones, trying to sooth her. He lifted her head off his chest and held her in his hands, wiping the tears away. Why was she crying? He could feel the panic rising in his throat.

"What's wrong? Are you in pain? Did someone hurt you?" he asked quietly, frantically.

Choking back a sob, she leaned into his shoulder, trying to hold back her tears. "No, there's nothing wrong, it's just-" she swallowed. "I'm alright sweetie," she gave him a smile, wiping the tears away.

"What is it?" he asked, looking around the room. Perhaps something here was causing this emotional break? Perhaps she was having cramps or something happened at the university?

"It's nothing, it's just the movie- why did Ellie have to die? It's unfair," she stated, almost child-like. Wiping her tears with her left sleeve, she curled up, her arms wrapping around her legs.

"It's life, River. No one lasts forever, and we all have to pass eventually," the Doctor murmured, one hand rubbing her back soothingly.

"But why Ellie? She should be able to have a child. They deserved more than this," she sighed, cringing at how stupid she was acting. Rule number seventy-four; never let the Doctor see your tears, wasn't it?

The Doctor's hurt ached; he knew exactly why she was hurting, because he was too. "I'm sorry, River. That's how life is, sometimes, but if you continue on, you'll find a new adventure waiting ahead," he whispered into her ear, brushing the curls out of her face.

She paused for a second, taking a moment to place a soft kiss on his cheek. "Rory and Amy's story wasn't like this, was it?" she murmured.

He took the remote control and pressed play, continuing the film and leaving her question unanswered. She pressed closer to him, looking at him expectantly.

He rolled his eyes; one thing he could never deny was that expression on her face. "No, it was much better," he smirked, kissing her on the top of her head.

She grinned, content with the answer as the continued forward, travelling on colorful balloons, exploring lands and meeting strange animals, finding new adventures, never looking back.

Too soon, the film was to end, the curtains to close. "So tell me, River, how did you like the movie?" the Doctor asked, wiping his eyes once more. The film was fantastic; if Rory and Amy were happy together, then he would be happy for them as well.

She looked up, a smile on her face. "You know, you could say that his house was sort of like the TARDIS, the travelling and the floating, it was fantastic," she smirked. "I think it's time for us to find our Paradise Falls,"

He grinned in return, his arm was still around her shoulders, and he gently stroked her curls in return, and he leaned over to whisper into her ear.

"Then I think it's time we find a new adventure,"

_Hello, long time no see? I wrote this a really long time ago and forgot about, sorry. Yeah. Don't worry, I'll start/finish some of my long list of unwritten fics soon. R&R._


End file.
